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starwoof
2006-01-27, 10:14 PM
Pseudo-Illithid
Pseudo-Illithids are created when ceremorphosis is interupted by the use of several specific spells and psionic powers. The illithid tadpole does not replace the entire brain of the host creature. However, the experience of the tadpole devouring the host creatures brain is traumetizing, and the creature loses all of its memory and experiences. They are 'born' in the body of full adults, but they must grow and learn like any infant.

Appearance
Pseudo-Illithids can be born from any warm blooded humanoid between four and a half and six feet tall. Most of their hair falls out, and the hair that remains is thin and scraggly. Their skin takes on a purple hue and their mouths are ringed by 4 short tentacles. They have between 2 and 5 toes on each foot, and three or four fingers on each hand, as well as a thumb. As they can be created from many races, there is much differentiation within the 'race' An former elf, for example, will have pointy ears.

Personality and relations
Pseudo-Illithids are moody and unpleasnt to be near. Unlike a normal Illithid, a Pseudo illithid can feel positive emotions, like love. They are generally despised by all races, though Mind Flayers and Wizards tend to have an academic interest in them.

Allignment
Pseudo-Illithids favor lawful allignments like illithids. But they favor neither good or evil, and they can be found in many allignments.

Pseudo-Ilithid Lands
Pseudo-Illithids have no lands to call their own. They most often exist on the fringes of surface and underdark societys.


-2 con,+2 int, +2 wis, -2 cha. Pseudo-illithids are intelligent and observant, but their transformation has damaged their psysiology and any personality they may have had.
+2 on will saves against mind influencing attacks. Pseudo-Illithids are naturally resistant to these attacks.
Naturally Psionic- Pseudo-Illithids gain 2 additional power points at first level.
Lesser Mind Blast- 1/day. Stun for 1 round. Will save DC 10+1/2 HD+cha modifier.
Tentacles-Pseudo-Illithids gain +2 on opposed grapple checks. This does not apply to rolls to escape grapples or to avoid being swallowed whole.
Take Over- Sometimes pseudo-illithids are not in full control of their body. When a stressful situation begins (like combat) there is a 5% chance that the tadpole takes over the pseudo-illithids body. He is affected by confuse, as the spell, except a roll of 10 on a d10 results in him attacking the nearest target. The will save to resist is DC=10+1/2 the pseudo-illithids HD+charisma bonus. This lasts for 5 minutes or until the pseudo-illithid passes a will save. The pseudo-illithid never remembers anything that happens while it is taken over by the tadpole.
Minor Telepathy- The Pseudo-illithid can communicate telepathically with any creature that it shares a language with. The range is 30 feet.
Languages- Common or Undercommon. Bonus languages: Common, Undercommon, Qualith, Goblin, Draconic, Orc
Favored class- Psion


So what do you guys think? Any comments or criticism? I was trying to make a race that was mind flayerish, but without a level adjustment.

Nasrudith
2006-01-27, 10:26 PM
Seems a bit weak to me. No one wants the party blaster to go crazy in combat. That's what a frenzied barbarian is for.

chaosbrand
2006-01-27, 11:05 PM
I would suggest either a higher increase in the ability scores to even out the Take Over special. Also, in my opinion, I would remove the requirement of line of sight for his telepathy.

Single Shot Zombie
2006-01-28, 01:33 AM
From the description given, this sounds more like an inherited template than a base race to me.

One of the party adventurers could have such a tadpole partially implanted in his/her brain during the transformation, and be turned into a pseudo-illithid. What would happen to that party member, then?

Does he/she lose all racial or class abilities, and all of his/her feats? Does he/she retain the stats of her base class, having the pseudo-illithid stats applied on top of those?

starwoof
2006-01-28, 02:18 AM
Well, I really considered a template for a while. I think I could still transform it into one, but I really wanted a base race. I made it similar to the elan (not Elan the bard), who are psionically modified humans, but lose all memories and levels and such whenever they become an elan.

Normally to stop ceremorphosis (the process of becoming a mind flayer), you need a wish or miracle, which kills the tadpole and regenerates the brain completely. I wanted to make a race that is created when lesser magic/psionics is employed that dosnt kill the tadpole, just stops it from taking over completely. But it does destroy a lot of the host brain, including most of the things that store memorys. The tadpole actually replaces the parts of the brain that it eats, and if it isnt in control its still being used.

Hmm, that kind of brings up the issue of what happens when a wish or miracle is cast on the pseudo-illithid. I guess it would lose all abilitys from this race and become a member of its old race again, but with all the memorys it gained from its time as an illithidae.

I think Ill keep it as a race rather than a template because during ceremorphosis all racial abilitys are erased and replaced with the illithids abilitys. Id imagine that the best time for a Pseudo-Illithid to be created would be 3 or four days into it, which is about half way. By then I would imagine all of its own racial abilitys are gone and the illithid ones are takign over.

About the weakness of the race... yeah I agree. Im going to reduce the charisma penalty to -2 and add either +2 wis or con. Take over stays because it adds great flavor as well as off setting of any bonuses I may give it. Because I really dont want this to have a level adjustment. (as a template, it would definately have level adjustment) Telepathy is also losing the line of sight requirement.

Everyman
2006-01-28, 04:33 AM
Mechanically, everything looks good. I like "Take Over". Lots of flavor, and the ability balances out the stats.

Hmm....It still seems a tad strong though. Perhaps a penalty to Con (considering they look ragged when born and in life) would help balance it out.

nailohi8
2006-02-13, 11:38 PM
looks cool.never gonna use it,but still cool.

DracoDei
2007-05-16, 12:31 PM
What is the Heal check to get the Tadpole out once it has stopped working? Or should we assume that would kill the patient in every case? Is the Pseudo-Illithid dependant on the tadpole for some of their brain functions (that would make sense)?

EvilElitest
2007-05-16, 06:42 PM
Didn't you have this in the old playground
from,
EE